Day school
Lighthouse High School’s Traditional Day school program follows the Florida Department of Education Requirements for a Standard High School Diploma School (FLDOE #5652).
Accommodations
Beka Book is committed to providing the finest educational resources for Christian schools. Accordingly, we routinely monitor educational trends in curriculum and assessment to evaluate them in light of traditional Christian values and objectives. Our goal is to continually improve A Beka Book materials by providing the most up-to-date content and best practices in textbooks and curriculum.
Common Core Alignment
Many Christian school educators and homeschool parents are inquiring about the sweeping national education standards known as Common Core State Standards (CCSS). While CCSS have only been written for English language arts and mathematics, they have quickly been adopted by most state departments of education, and future standardized testing appears to be aligning with them. Meanwhile, there is much controversy over the imposition of national standards, the loss of local control over education, and undesirable philosophical implications.
Because A Beka Book has historically met or exceeded recommended content standards, it is not surprising that when compared to current CCSS, the A Beka Book language arts and mathematics objectives were found to already meet almost all Common Core content standards.
However, a few differences were found. For example, in English language arts, A Beka Book fulfills or exceeds many of the standards at an earlier grade level than outlined in CCSS. Further, in mathematics, A Beka Book has chosen a different sequence of topical representation because it is more logical in presentation than what Common Core proposes.
Standards in education are often very useful when they inform content in an effort to ensure that subject matter is age appropriate, sequentially meaningful, and academically rigorous. Unfortunately, some of Common Core goes beyond content and moves into the realm of teaching methodology. Since many of these techniques do not align with our traditional Christian approach, we have purposefully chosen not to add them, but rather to leave it up to the school or individual to make decisions for implementation in keeping with their philosophy and principles of teaching and learning.
Proven Success of "A Beka Book"
The academic integrity of A Beka Book has been validated by the success of hundreds of thousands of students over decades. Historically, students instructed under our curriculum consistently score above national averages on standardized tests and on college entrance tests. Our skilled researchers and writers do not paraphrase progressive education textbooks; they do primary research in every subject and look at the subject from the traditional Christian point of view.
While it is healthy to be informed by educational trends and performance data, it is not the practice of A Beka Book to adjust or change its curriculum to align with each new reform that is presented in academia. We will continue our commitment to seek content and best practices that provide students with the tools they need for both academic and personal success.
Hours of operation
Monday – Friday: 9am to 4pm.
Legislation
Florida students entering grade nine may choose from one of four options to earn a standard diploma. They are
- 24-credit program*
- 18-credit, Academically Challenging Curriculum to Enhance Learning (ACCEL) option
- An International Baccalaureate (IB) curriculum
- An Advanced International Certificate of Education (AICE) curriculum
Florida’s public high school graduation requirements are specified in the following sections of Florida Statute (F.S.):
- Section 1003.4282, F.S., Requirements for a standard high school diploma (effective July 1, 2013)
- Section 1002.3105, F.S., Academically Challenging Curriculum to Enhance Learning (ACCEL) options
*In addition to the four options available for students to earn a standard diploma listed above, Rule 6A-1.09963, Florida Administrative Code (F.A.C.), High School Graduation Requirements for Students with Disabilities, outlines two additional options that students with disabilities may complete within the 24-credit program. These include
- specific requirements for students with disabilities for whom the individual education plan (IEP) has determined that participation in the Florida Alternate Assessment is the most appropriate measure of the student’s skills and instruction in the access points is the most appropriate means of providing the student access to the general curriculum.
- specific requirements for a standard diploma for students with disabilities for whom the IEP team has determined that mastery of both academic and employment competencies is the most appropriate way for the student to demonstrate his or her skills.
For additional information on exceptional student education programs, visit the Bureau of Exceptional Education and Student Services web page.
For more information on local public school district graduation programs, contact the school district.
Standard High School Diploma Designations
Students may earn one or more designations on their standard high school diploma—the scholar designation and the merit designation per s. 1003.4285, F.S. Requirements are listed in the graduation requirements charts by grade nine entering cohort year.
Assessments for High School Graduation
Each Year Lighthouse High School uses the Stanford Ten Assessment to evaluate our students to be sure that our students have acquired and retained the necessary skills, academia that is required to receive a standard High School diploma Graduation Requirements for Florida’s Statewide Assessments (PDF).
Transfer Students
If a student transfers into a Lighthouse High School high school from out of country, out of state, a private school or a home school, the student’s transcript is reviewed to determine if the student is required to take a Florida end-of-course (EOC) assessment in accordance with Rule 6A-1.09941, F.A.C., State Uniform Transfer of High School Credit. Refer to the High School Mathematics Statewide Assessments by State (PDF) chart for a listing of statewide assessment mathematics exit exams and Algebra 1 statewide assessments.